The Cleveland teachers union recently scored a significant victory, after an arbitration panel there ruled that its CEO Eugene Sanders cannot force more than 600 teachers to reapply for their current positions. Further, he cannot force a 4.5 percent district wide pay cut, but must instead settle for only 1.5 percent.

As a major part of his "Transformation Plan" for Cleveland schools, Sanders' was requiring teachers to reapply at the 22 schools deemed "poor performers," giving the district far more authority over who teaches in those buildings.

It's unclear what this setback means for Sanders' improvement plan, which aims to have half of all Cleveland schools rated as "excellent" or "effective" on the Ohio Report Card by 2014. He's already shut down 18 schools and laid off 10 percent of the teaching force.

Sanders' recently approved three-year contract extension is a pretty good indication that this battle is far from over.